Indicator



M. F. suLLlvAN.

INDICATOR.

APPLlcAloN FILED AUG.22, 1918.

Patented Aug. 31, 1920.

m, Ml,

Mmmm@ M. F. SULLIVAN.

INDICATOR.

APFLxcATmN FILED Aue.22, 1918.

1935 l 77 Patented Aug., 319 i920.,

fnl/@maior M. F. SULLlVAN.

-INDICATML4 APPLICATION FILED AUG.22, 1.918.

1,351,707. Patented Aug. 31, 1920.

A 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- -Ly- M. l f Hita/nega UNITED STATES FICE.

MICHAEL F. SULLIVAN, 0F SAN FRANCISCQ, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNR TO GERTRU'DEYA.

MARGESON, `OIE SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA. f

INDICATOR.

Y Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 31, 1920.

Application led August 22, 1918. Serial No. 250,961.

provide a practical street car indicatorV wherein the various streets or stations at which stops are made are indicated on a traveling belt, orequivalent carrier; the belt being driven by a motor which is set in operation by appropriate means controlled either by the car or the conductor, or other operator, and providing means whereby the motor is automatically stopped through the medium ofthe belt, to display the desired street or station indication. Another object of the in-V vention is to provide a pair of. switches which are automatically operated by the belt and intermittently opened and closed by same, and which switches are so connected with the motor that the circuit through same will be automatically opened when a street; name is brought into register with a suitable display opening. Another object is to provide means which may be either manually 0r automatically operated for closing the circuit through the motor when a new street name is to be displayed. Another objectof the invention is to provide a novelv form of transmission through which the display belt may be driven in either direction. Further objects will hereinafter appear. A Y

The invention consists of the parts and the construction and combination of parts as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, having reference to the accompanying drawings, in whichy Figure 1 isa side elevation of the indicator showing the casing in section.l

Fig. 2 is a plan view of same.

Fig. 3 isa cross section of the clutch on line m-x, Fig.` 2. v f

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view of the motor circuit and controlling switches.

Referring to the drawings, A'indicates a base plate, on which is secured a pair of yframe sections 2 and 3. Suitably journaled in said frame are a pair of drivenrollers 4 and 5 and a pair of idlers 6 and 7. 8 indicates a belt constructed of any suitable matec tric motor B and connection between same and the rollers 4 and will be asfollows:

10 indicates a horizontally positioned shaft which is journaled, as at-11, ina bracket member 12 secured upon the base. Secured upon one end of said shaft is a beveled gear 13 which intermeshes witha similar gear 14 secured upon the motor shaft, and secured to the opposite end of shaft 10 is a worm gear 15 f which intermeshes with `a worm wheel 16, secured to a'shaft 17, which in turn isl journaled in the mainV frame. Loosely mounted on said shaft isa pair of sprocket wheels 18 and l19 and connecting said sprockets with a pair of sprockets 20 and 21 secured upon shafts 22 and 23, upon vwhich rollers 41 and 5 are mounted, are chains 24 and 25.

Suitably secured to the inner faces of sprockets 18 and 19are pins 18a and 19a. Turnably mounted Von Vthe shaft 17 inter-V mediate of thev sprockets 18 and 19, is a clutch member 26, and projecting Yfrom either end of said clutch'are pins 18b and 19h.

TheY clutch 26ccr1sistsl of a sleeve in which is cut an angularly positioned slot 27.` Secured to shaft 17 and projecting through said slot is a Vpin 28a. Surrounding the sleeve and frictionally engaging same is a pair of friction clamp arms 29, the tensionof n which may be regulated by a-screw 30, said clamp arms being secured, as at 31, to the bracket 12. .Y 4 l Motor B, as before stated, is of the reofengagement with pin' 19.al on sprocket 19 and similarly bringing pin 18" into engagement with pin 18l on sprocket 18. f *Thelonversible type and can, therefore, be drivenY j gitudinal movement of the sleeve 26 takes lace while pin 28 travels from one end of the slot to the other sleeve 26 being prevented from rotating at this moment for the simple reason that it is held against rotary movement by the clamp arms 29. The frictional engagement of said arm is, however, not suflicient to hold the sleeve against rotation when pin 28 reaches the opposite end of the slot. Power is then transmitted through shaft 17, pin 28, sleeve 26 and pins 18band 18 to sprocket 18 which isV again transmitted through chain 25to sprocket 21, with connected shaft and roller 4, in the direction of arrow a. The belt will thus be unwound. from roller 5 and pass over idlers 7 and 6 to be wound on roller 4.

The sprocket 19 being loosely mounted on the shaft 17 will thus simply act as an idler and will otherwise be inactive, las far as transmitting power is concerned, while power is being transmitted to roller 4. However, it can easily be seen that the moment motor B is reversed the pin 28 will immediately travel to the oppositeend of slot 27 and force the sleeve 26longitudinally into engagement with the sprocket'19. Power Y will then be transmitted through shaft 17 pin 28, sleeve 26` and pins 19b and 18b to sprocket 19 and through the chain 24 and sprocket 20 to shaft 22, upon which roller 5 is mounted. The direction Aof, the belt will thusv` be reversed and will consequently unwind from roller 4.

The reversible motor, together with the automatic clutch indicated at 26, makes it possible to .drive the belt in either direction. This is of great importance in connection with street car service, as it is necessary to drive the belt in one direction when a car is moving in one direction and it will consequently be necessary to reverse the travel of thev belt when the car is returning. The reversing of the motor is accomplished through means of an ordinary reversing switch, indicated at 32, and' means have alsobeen provided for automatically opening and closing the circuit through the motor to produce or` transmit an intermittent drive to the belt 8 whether this be traveling in one direction or the other.

By referring to Fig. 2, it will be vseen that the names of the streets are printed or otherwise appliedto the surface belt, as iindicatedat 33. Each street name is brought into register with a display opening or window 34 formed in the front of the casing, and means have been provided for automatically stopping the belt and motor the moment a street name is brought into register 1 with said window. This is accomplished by the following mechanism: Y

35and 3,6 indicate in general a pair of switches which are operated by the belt through the following means:

Each switch consists of a pair of spring Vis a pair of rocker-arms 41 and 42, one for each switch. Suitably secured to the outer end of each lever arm is a roller 48, and secured on the edges of the belt are a plurality of raised projections 44 and 45; the projections 44 being so positioned as to engage with the roller on arm 41, while the proj ections 45 will engage with the roller on arm 42. There is one projection for each street and name and these are staggered with relation to each other. That is, projection 44, which registers with T St. (see Fig. 2) is oflset with relation to projection 45 on the opposite side of the belt which registers with J St. Similarly, projection 44 which registers with K St. is offsetwith relation to projection 45 which registers with L St, etc.

The inner end of each rocker-arm` is turned outwardly, as indicated at 46, to l bring the end of the rocker-arm directly above the flexible contact members of the respective switches 85 and 36 with which they are connected. rThe operation of this part of the mechanisml will be as follows:

Motor B having vbeen started will' conseuently transmit movementy to drive the belt. The belt moving in a certain direction will consequently bring onel ofthe belt pro-A jections into -engagement with roller of' arm 42, and will rock this about thepivot 40, causing the outer end to move down-v ward in the direction of arrow Z), and force the 'flexible Vcontacts 37 and 38, oi switch 36, into engagement with each other. Contacts 44 on the opposite side of the belt being olfset, with relation to contact 45 which is 'no-w in register with roller 43, will consequently permit arm 41 to remain in the raised position. Contacts 37 and 38 of switch 35 will thus remain in the normal or open position. The switches 35 and 36 are automatically opened orfclosed through means of the projections 44 and 45 and arms 41- andf42. Said switches are in turn connected with the mo tor circuit in such a man-ner that vone opens a circuit through the motor while the opposite switch closes .a circuit through the motor which is closed in this instance by. a manually operated switclnindicated at 47; 'T he position of the automatically 'operated switches 35 and'SG, with relation to the mo tor circuit and the manually controlled switch 47 will be more fully explained by referring to Fig. 4. Y j e The reversible motor, indicated-at'l, is in this instance, connected through a wire 48 with the reversing switch indicated at 32', which in turn is connected' through a wire 49, with a suitable source of electric supply, as the overhead wiregof the car. The other terminal ofthe motor is grounded through- Vthat the motor is standing still.

a wire 50. Connectedthrough a wire 51 with wire 48 is the manually controlled switch 47, which, in this instance, is provided with two terminalsV 52 and 52. Terminal 52 is connected through a wire V53 with the flexible contact 37 of switch 3F, and the terminal 52 is connected through a wire with the iieXible contact 37 of the switch 36. rThe upper terminal 38 of each switch 35 and 36 is in turn connected through a wire 55, and this wire in turn connected through a wire 56 with the wire 50, which is groundechas before stated.

The circuit through the motor, when revolving in one direction, which direction controlled by the reversing switch 32, can be traced as follows: q

For the purpose of tracing the circuitit will be necessary to assume that the contacts 37 and 38 of switch' 36 are closed and rl`he conductor seeing that the car has just passed a street will now operate switch 47 to start the motor so that the belt may be moved to indicate the name of the next street. The conductor will in this instance, move the switch arm into `engagement 'with the con-` tact 52.

Current coming in through wire 49 and reversing switch 32 will pass through wire 48, which is connected with one terminal 'of the motor. It will then pass through the motor and out the opposite terminal and through wire 50 pass to the ground. The circuit being thus closed through the motor will remain closed until the belt has traveled suficiently far to bring the succeeding street into register with the window 34.A

Projection 44 will in this instance, move into 'engagement with the rocker-arm 4l and consequently close a circuit through the liexible contacts 37 and 38 of switch 35.

Y)rejection 44 which previously held the contacts of switch 36 closed will now move out of register with arm 42, which operates switch 36, and will permit this to remain in the open position. rIhe closing of switch 35, through means of the projection 44 on the belt, establishes a new circuit which can be traced as follows: v

Current entering through wire 49 and reversing switch 32 will pass through wires 48 and 5l, through switch 47, terminal 52,

wire 53, contacts 37 and 38 of switch 35,

wires 55 and 56 to wire 50 which in turn is connected with the ground.

The circuit just described which is closed by switch offers less resistance to the passage of the current than the motor. rllhe current will consequently pass through this Ycircuit of course, not moved until it is necessary This closes the following circuit:A

current entering through wire 49 will thus y again pass through motorB to the ground, causing the belt again to move to a new name to be displayed.

The circuit through the motor is, however, again opened the moment the newV street name is brought into register with the window 34, as projection 45 will now be brought into register with arm 42 and cause this to close the iiexible contacts 37 and 38 of switch 36. The motorl circuit is immediately opened when the switch 36 closes, for the simple reason that the current will again follow the path of least resistance which passes through wires 48 and 51, through switch 47, terminal 52, wire 54, switch 36, wires 55 and 56 and wire 50 which connects with the ground. The motor is consequently stopped as no current passes through same, and the belt will remain stationary until the lever of the switch 47 is again moved into engagement with the contact 52.

From the foregoingdescription it can be now seen that a circuit through the motor is vclosed by the manually operated switch 47, and that the motor is automatically stopped by either the automatic, switches 35 or 36 which may be controlled by the projections formed on the belt. drive is thus transmitted to the belt.

For the purpose of stopping the motor, with connected transmission and belt, the moment astreet name is brought into register with the window or display opening a number of friction shoes have been provided. lThe rollers 4 and 5 are, with this object in' view, provided with a spool-like ange at veach end, as indicated at 4a and 5a, respectively, and contacting' witlrthe outer faces of said flanges are friction arms 4b and 5b, respectively.

The motor is immediately stoppedthe moment the circuit through same is opened through the `means of one or the other 'of the switches 35 and 36, as the current is bypassed to the ground and the belt, together with the motor, is further stopped by the action of friction arms 4b and 5b. prevent the parts from running idle after the current has been by-passed.

rThe indicating mechanism here shown is simple in construction and positive in operation. It is automatically stopped through switches 35 and 36 and may be driven in either direction through means of the reversible motor, which in turn is' controlled by the switch 32. The starting of the motor is here shown as controlled by a manually operated switch 47. I do not, however, wish An intermittent These to limit myself to a manual-ly operated switch as it is evident that the automatic switch might be utilized for this purpose.

The materials and finish of the several parts of the mechanism are such as the eX perience and judgment of the.` manufacturer may dictate.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1.. In a street indicator, a trame, a pair yof rollers borne by the frame and having a belt engaged therewith, means to.v drive the rollers including a motor, and means to stop the motor including a Contact device, meanstol connect said' device to the frame, an L-s-h-aped rocker arm having one end horizontal and arranged above the device and formed to close the device', said rocker arm being pivoted at its angle to the frame and having its other end del-)ending` downward-ly from the pivot, and projections on the belt engageable with said other end of the arm to raise the latter, the depending end of the rocker arm being lformed so as to normally maintain the horizontal end thereof out of engagement with the contact device.

2. In a street indicator, a frame, a pair of rollers borne by the frame and having ay belt engaged therewith, means to drive the rollers including a motor, and means to stop` the motor including a1 contact device carried by the frame` and yextending outwardly from a side thereof, an L.shapedrocker arm having one end portion thereof horizontal and eX- tending outwardly of the frame and provided With a depending part to overli'e and engage thev contact device to close the latter, said rocker armv being pivoted at its angle to the frame and having its other end ex# tending beyond the frame and. depending downwardly from the pivot, and projections on the belt engageable with said other end of the arm to raise the latter, the depending end of the arm being formed so as to normally maintain the horizontal end thereo out of engagement with. the contact device.

In testimony whereof I` have hereuntov set my hand i-n the presence of two subscribing witnesses. l

MICHAEL F. SULLIVAN. ll-Vitnesses:

L. D. BYRNE, WESLEY W. KERGAN. 

